Locking device eor well ptjmping--tools



H. B. WALKER, LOCKING DEvlcEfoR WELLPUMPING TooLs. APFLICAlON FILED MAYI5. 1916.

l ,3 l 7,531 v Patented Sept. 30, 1919. Fm@ FG.. 2

WITNESSES Z0 TME COLUMBIA PLANoanAPn \.u., WASHINGTON. Dt c HENRY B.WALKER, OF LANCASTER, OHIO.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR WELL PUMPING-TOOLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

Application filed May 15, 1916. Serial No. 97,580.

To all cl2/0m t 'may concern l3e it known that I, HENRY B. IViiLKnR, acitizen of the United States, and resident of i Lancaster, in the countyof Fairfield and State of Ohio, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Locking Devices for Tell Pumping- Tools; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to pump piston valves for oil or artesian wells,and more particularly to means for securing the valve cage to thepiston.

In oil well pumping operations, a simple type of valve is used,comprising such parts as a piston barrel or tube, provided with a numberof pistons, and a ball check-valve, seating on the barrel and confinedin operative positionY by a cage or crown, the crown and barrel usuallybeing threaded toone another,rand the cage being provided with meansvfor attachment to the usual pumping cable or rods. In the pumpingstrokes, the cable connected to the walking beam twists and untwistscausing the vertically reciprceating piston to rotate, andY greatdiiiiculty has been experienced in maintaining` the union between thepump piston and cage, separation of these parts by unscrewing results inloss of the piston, causing considerable eXpense incident to the delayand recovery thereof.

The compactness in assembly of the parts of the valve and its close ltwith the working barrel prohibits the employment of common mechanicaldevices for locking the parts together, and due to the excessivevibrations and twisting action in pumping, positive locking meansr ofgreat durability must be devised.

Other requisites in a device of this class are: iexibility, simplicityand cheapness in manufacture. IVith these objects in view, the inventionconsists in the construction hereafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation of' a pump pistonand valve cage showing the parts in locked position; Fig. 2 is a likeview wherein the parts are in unlocked position; Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of a preferred form of locking member; Fig. 4 is a pe 1spectivekview of the uper portion of lthe'pistcn barrel showing the relation ofthe locking` member thereto; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of theupper portion of the piston barrel, the section being taken through thelocking member, and its co-acting parts assembled in locked position;Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a ortion of a pump piston showing amodi cation of the invention.

The numeral 2 indicates the usual lpump piston barrel which has mountedthereon the packing cups l3 separated one from the other by collars 4and carrying at the lower end the cap 5. The barrel above the packingcups is provided with the shoulder 6, usually made in the form of a nutand serves as an abutment between which and the lower cap, the packingmembers are held.

The upper valve of the pump comprises a cage or crown 7,thread-connected as at 8 to the upper end of the barrel, and a ballvalve 9 seating on the barrel and confined in operative position by thecage. The cage is pro-vided with a threaded stem 10 for atn tachment tothe pumping cable or rods.

In a pump of the above description, it has been found that 'in pumpingoperations the threaded union between the crown and the barrel tends toseparate or unscrew, and in many instances, entire separation of theparts occurs, resultingin delay and expense 1n recovering the pistonportion of the pump.

To prevent the unscrewing or separation of parts I employ a locking key11 preferably of the form shown in Fig. 3. This key is adapted to seatin a key-way 12 formed in the upper threaded end of the piston barrel 2and to engage the valve cage in such manner as to prevent relativemove-l ment of these parts. The lower edge of the valveV cage iscounterbored, forming a threaded flange 13 adapted to fit over andengage the upper portion 11a of key 11 to hold it to its seat on thebarrel, while at the same time permit turning and adjustment of thecage. This flange is provided with a number of notches or shoulders 14so arranged that in the adjustment of the valve to the barrel one ofthese notches is brought into register with the key, the lug portion thekey is conlined between the barrel and the iiange 18 and 17 of the cage'and collar;

that the lug por'tion ot' the key is flush with y the exterior of thevalve at vthis point, and

positively held Y that the crown and key are against displacement:

n The forces which tend to cause separat-ion of the crown and barrelalso act to cause the collar 16 to unscrew. It is important to notethat, these forces act only in` a moderate degree on the collar byreason of Vthe fact that the collar is not in frictional engagement withthe working barrel, and it has been vfound in practice that a springsuch as a light spring 18 interposed between the nut 6 of the barrel andthe collar is sufficient to prevent rotation, and flexible enough toallow Ibacking down of the collar to allow disengagement of the keywith. the crown. The collar may be dispensed with and the spring 18 or asplit spring washer may be employedto support the Vkey in lockingengageinent with the crown, but I prefer to use a collar as shown, as itserves asa supplemental lock, acting as a jam nut to the crown. p

In the modified form shown'in Fig, G, the collar 1G is provided withnotches 20.1Thes'e notches are of shallower depth than notches 1+iformed in the fiange of the valve cage, and are adapted to receive thelug portion 11b ot the key, and form with notches 14: positive lockingmeans. tor the valve cage and collar. v

'Vhat Iclaim is: Y l

1. A device of thel character described comprising a pump piston barrelhaving an upper threaded portion, a crown forming a valve-cage engagingsaid threaded portion, positive locking means on said threadedportioirengaging said valve-cage, and a second locking means on saidthreaded portion for holding said valve-cage and said irst lockingVmeans in locked position.

v2. A device of the character described comprising a pump piston barrelhaving an upper threaded portion, a crown forming a valve-cage engagingsaid threaded portion, a key engaging arkeyway formed in saidY threadedportion, said cage having a notch at the lower end thereof adapted toengage said key, and means carried byv said threaded portion forretaining said key in engagement with the notch on said valve-cage.

B. A device of thel character described comprising a pump piston 'barrelhaving an Vupper threaded portion, a crown-,forming a valve-cageengaging said lthreaded portion, a key engaging a vertical keyway cagehaving av notchat the lower end thereof engaged by said key, and acollar engaging said threaded portion to hold said key in engagementwith said notch. y

1. A device of the character described comprising a pumpY piston barrelhaving an upper threaded portion, a crown forming a valve-cageyengagingy said threaded portion, a key engaging a vertical lkeywayformed in said threaded portion, said key having an outwardly projectinglug adapted to engage a notch formed in the lower end o said valve-cage,and Ymeans carried said threaded portion for holding said lug inengagement with said notch.

5. A device of the Vvcharacter described comprising a pump piston barrelhaving an upperthreaded portion, a crown forming a valve-cage engagingsaid threaded portion, a key engaging a keyway formed in said threadedpoition, an. outwardly projecting lug on said key adapted to engage anotch formed in' the lower end of said valve-cage, a` collar engagingsaid vthreaded portion adapted to hold said lug in engagement with saidnotch, the lower end of said valve-cage and the upper end of said collarbeing counterbored to receive said key. -v f G. A device of thecharacter described comprising a pump piston vbarrel having an upperthreaded portion, aY crown forming a valve-cage engaging said threadedportion, a key engaging la key-wayirformed in said threaded portion, aprojection on said key engaging a notch -ormed inthe lower end of saidvalve-cage, a collar engaging said threaded portion adapted to hold saidprojection in engagement withsaid notch, said projection being Hush withsaid valve-cage and said collaiz@V k7. A device of the characterdescribed comprising a pump piston barrel having an upper threadedportion, a crown forming a.

valve-cage engaging said threaded portion, a keyv engaging a keywayformed in said threaded portion, said key engaging said valve cage, acollar on said threaded portion adapted to hold said key in engagementwith said valve-cage, andan abutment on said barrel, and a. springinterposed between said co-llar and said abutment.`

1n testimony whereof [,.the said HENRY B. WTALKER, have hereunto set myhand HENRY B. WALKER.

lVitnesses Rom, D. TOTTEN, JOHN F. WILL.

Copies of this patentmayvbe obtained-for five cents each, byaddressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. CJ

